NATIONAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

AWARENESS MONTH, 2009

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

Domestic violence touches the lives of Americans of all ages, leaving a devastating impact on
women, men, and children of every background and circumstance. A family’s home becomes
a place of fear, hopelessness, and desperation when a woman is battered by her partner, a child
witnesses the abuse of a loved one, or a senior is victimized by family members. Since the 1994
passage of the landmark Violence Against Women Act, championed by then Senator Joe Biden,
our Nation has strengthened its response to this crime and increased services for victims. Still,
far too many women and families in this country and around the world are affected by domes-
tic violence. During National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we recommit ourselves to
ending violence within our homes, our communities, and our country.
To effectively respond to domestic violence, we must provide assistance and support that
meets the immediate needs of victims. Facing social isolation, victims can find it difficult to
protect themselves and their children. They require safe shelter and housing, medical care,
access to justice, culturally specific services, and economic opportunity. The Family Violence
Prevention and Services Act supports emergency shelters, crisis intervention programs, and
community education about domestic violence.
In the best of economic times, victims worry about finding a job and housing, and providing
for their children; these problems only intensify during periods of financial stress. That is why
the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides $325 million for the Violence Against
Women Act (VAWA) and the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA). This funding will supplement the
Federal VAWA and VOCA dollars that flow to communities every year, and enable States, local
governments, tribes, and victim service providers to retain and hire personnel that can serve
victims and hold offenders accountable. These funds will also bring relief to victims seeking a
safe place to live for themselves and their children.
Victims of violence often suffer in silence, not knowing where to turn, with little or no guidance
and support. Sadly, this tragedy does not just affect adults. Even when children are not directly
injured by violence, exposure to violence in the home can contribute to behavioral, social, and
emotional problems. High school students who report having experienced physical violence in
a dating relationship are more likely to use drugs and alcohol, are at greater risk of suicide, and
may carry patterns of abuse into future relationships. Our efforts to address domestic violence
must include these young victims.
During this month, we rededicate ourselves to breaking the cycle of violence. By providing
young people with education about healthy relationships, and by changing attitudes that
support violence, we recognize that domestic violence can be prevented. We must build the
capacity of our Nation’s victim service providers to reach and serve those in need. We urge
community leaders to raise awareness and bring attention to this  quiet crisis. And across
America, we encourage victims and their families to call the National Domestic Violence
Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE. Together, we must ensure that, in America, no victim of domestic
violence ever struggles alone.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue
of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby
proclaim October 2009, as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. I ask all Americans
to do their part to end  domestic violence in this country by supporting their communities’
efforts to assist victims in finding the help and healing they need.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of October, in the year
of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the
two hundred and thirty-fourth.

BARACK OBAMA